How to Transfer Your WordPress Website?

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Are you about to move your WordPress site? Well, migrating a WordPress website to a new hosting company or a different server is quite messy.

It may cause data loss and downtime. So you need to be careful and focused on your work while transferring it.

Let’s have a short discussion, why people want to transfer their WordPress site? There might be several reasons for that.

Some may have problems with their current provider and have just had enough. Or some may want to get better services from their server. There might be many more reasons.

While transferring your WordPress website, your site will temporarily inaccessible to users as well as search engines.

This may cause a loss of sales and search engine rankings. But don’t get panic, you can recover it with some necessary steps.

Many people afraid of data loss also don’t want to get into the problem while transferring a WordPress website.

So they hire professionals and pay huge fees. And some search for a new host who provides migration service within its hosting package.

But you need not do any of this. Just have patience and follow our guide, I am sure, you can transfer your WordPress website successfully without any data loss or downtime.

Now let’s get started with the steps:

Step 1: Backup Your Website Files

On the process of site transmission, the first thing you should consider is the backup files.

Yes, you heard right. You need to back up tall the files of your WordPress website.

Well, it is a good practice which should be considered before making any changes.

Backups keep all your data secured in its original format. So you won’t face the data loss and downtime.

Now the question is how to backup your WordPress website?

Well, one way is to use backup plugins. There are several backup plugins available at the WordPress directory; you can implement any of those for your site backup.

Once you install the plugin, use its built-in setting so that you can handle and manage the files which you want to back up.

Moreover, you can go for some quick manual backups which require a file transfer tool to access your website files.

Some of the well-known FTP programs are FileZilla (PC) and Transmit (Mac). For FTP, you have to go for the following process:

  • Install any of the FTP programs
  • Use SFTP, which will connect your website’s server.
  • Select and download all files under your website’s directory including the .htaccess File
  • Consult your FTP program’s help to display hidden files if you are unable to see this File

Step 2: Export the WordPress Database

Once you backed up your WordPress file, the next step to follow is to export your database.

It is quite a smooth and straightforward process that can be done through a few simple steps. Here have a look:

  • Login to the cPanel account of your web server
  • Open the phpMyAdmin application.
  • Select your WordPress database
  • Click on the Export tab on the navigation menu.
  • Go for the default settings of a Quick export and the SQL format.
  • Click the Go button

This will start the database export process and download all the files to your local computer.

Step 3: Create the WordPress Database on Your New Host Server

Now it’s time to create a WordPress database on your new host server so that you can import your SQL data into.

So to create a database, follow the following simple steps:

  • Login to your new web host with the user credentials
  • Connect to the cPanel software
  • Open MySQL Database
  • Create a new database with an appropriate name for your website
  • Form new MySQL user with a strong password
  • Add this user account to the new database.
  • Grant it All Privileges
  • Create a database name, the new MySQL username and its password

In this way, you can successfully create your WordPress Database.

Step 4: Edit the wp-config.php File

Up to now, you have done from maintaining WordPress backup files to creating a database to a new host server. So what’s the next step? Well, you need to edit the wp-config.php File. So get ready for the next step. Here have a look:

  • Open the folder of your WordPress files which you downloaded
  • Search for the File called wp-config.php
  • Make a copy of this File and store it in another folder on your local computer
  • Again open the original version of the File
  • Now there you have to make the following three changes:
  1. Change the Database Name

define(‘DB_NAME’, ‘db_name’);

Change the db_name portion with the name of the new database you have just created.

  1. Change the Database Username

define(‘DB_USER’, ‘db_user’);

Here, change the db_user portion with the username of your old host.

  1. Change the Database User Password

define(‘DB_PASSWORD’, ‘db_pass’);

Finally, changes the db_pass section with the new secure password you created for your MySQL user.

After making all these changes, you have to save wp-config.php and close the File.

Step 5: Import Your WordPress Database

You have already created your database. Now it’s time to import it. For this you have to go through some simple steps:

  • Launch phpMyAdmin from the cPanel software on your new server
  • Select your new database and open it
  • Once it opens, select the Import tab from the navigation menu
  • Click the Choose File button
  • Select the SQL file you exported previously
  • Un-tick the Partial Import checkbox
  • Click on the Go button

After some time, your database will be imported. The import times depend on the size of your database.

After the completion of a task, you will receive a success message.

Step 6: Upload The WordPress Files To Your New Host

You have created a new database and also reconfigured the wp-config.php File. After this, you have to upload all your WordPress file to your new host.

Firstly connect your new web host using your FTP program and then search the folder that your website is going to be held.

Upload these files to the public_html folder if this is the initial installation.

For the remote directory, upload your website files with the updated version of wp-config.php. This process may take some time.

Note: do not delete any of these files from your local computer. Each of the files is needed until the final steps.

Step 7: Reconfigure the Domain Setting

Up to now, you have complete overall tasks except the domain setting.

Before using your new host, you have to manage and reconfigure the domain setting. Its setting depends on where you have your domain registered.

Domain name setting changes can take up to 48 hours to fully propagate. I suggest you go through this setting when you expect less traffic.

After that 48 hours, all the changes are completed, and you can access the new web host when you go to your website.

Note: you still have the backup of your old files and the database export, along with the original wp-config.php File. You can use it again if you need to roll back the migration.

Conclusion

Finally, we did with overall steps with which you can transfer your WordPress website with easy access. If you see everything at once, you may get confused and feel challenging to transfer your WordPress.

But with this step-by-step process may help you to deal with the transmission process. You just need to have focused and have patience. Everything will be clear and more comfortable.

I hope you get this tutorial helpful to you. Feel free to send your queries through our comment section. We will get back to you as soon as possible. Keep visiting our site for more useful articles.

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